The Swiss gold franc was issued from 1883 to 1936. It was part of Switzerland's monetary system and was used as a standard currency during that time. The gold franc was replaced by the Swiss franc as the country transitioned to a more modern currency system.
The Swiss franc (or Frank) was modelled on the French Franc. In those day, the value of a currency was determined by the amount of gold it contained. In 1848, the Swiss Confederation decided to issue a coin with the same gold content as the French Franc, and called it the franc.
No, the Swiss franc is not tied to the gold standard. Although Switzerland had a gold-backed currency system until the early 2000s, it officially abandoned the gold standard in 1999. The Swiss National Bank now manages the currency through monetary policy, without a direct peg to gold. However, Switzerland still holds a significant amount of gold reserves as part of its monetary policy strategy.
Switzerland ("Confoederatio Helvetica" is Latin for the "Swiss Confederation") issued no 20 Franc coins, gold or otherwise, in 1970. It did issue a 20 Rappen coin (there are 100 Rappen to the Franc), which is a silver-colored coin 21 mm in diameter (about the size of a US nickel). Numismatically, it is worth perhaps a US dollar in Uncirculated condition, and no more than face value (about 19 US cents as of December 2009) in circulated condition.
About $310 in gold content at the time of writing. 1935 isn't a rare date for gold 20 francs and so they generally trade pretty close to bullion value.
image of 1915 Austrian gold franc
Until the beginning half of the 1900 there was a link to the value of the paper money you were issued in that it could be exchanged for GOLD. Say you had a $20 American Bank note this could be exchanged for $20 in gold. The World problems started when the US left the Breton Wood system and went away from the Gold Standard and freely started printing money with no backing. The reason today the Swiss currency is stronger than most is because they control what they print and have a large amount of gold to back the currency. If Germany was not in the EU them the D.Mark would be close to the Swiss Franc. Always interested in further views. See related links for a few beautiful gold coins.
Based upon the French gold standard (1873, I think) of one franc equaling 0.290322581g gold, one 1880 franc works out to $3.95 today's dollars.
Frankingold
The Swiss franc is no longer backed by gold since Switzerland abandoned the gold standard in 1999. Now, the currency's value is determined by market forces, economic factors, and the Swiss National Bank's monetary policies.
$300
Swiss watches always tend to be more expensive than other watches. They are the gold standard of the industry. The Swiss Legend watch is no exception to this rule. They are rather pricy, however, they are excellent timepieces that will provide you with years of service.
In 1835, one French franc was worth approximately 0.29 grams of gold. The value of the franc, like many currencies of the time, was influenced by the gold standard and the economic conditions in France. Additionally, the purchasing power of the franc would have been significantly different from today, reflecting the economic context of 19th-century France.